


The Unspoken Truths

by Hairi_Esh_Mooncake



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Amnesia, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 21:48:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14839772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hairi_Esh_Mooncake/pseuds/Hairi_Esh_Mooncake
Summary: Eren is a new recruit under Levi’s care when an unfortunate incident leaves him with no memory. As he starts spending more time with the older man, Eren is certain the two of them were somehow involved, and does everything he can to push past Levi’s reservations, such as Eren being half Levi’s age and the son of the Captain’s friend.Eren thinks it shouldn’t matter because he’s convinced they have already fucked.





	The Unspoken Truths

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. So this is my first AoT story and I'm still pretty much treading the waters here. I've put the rating to M for now but that could change, depending on how the story would go. 
> 
> Basically for now I'd just like to know if you're interesting in the idea and would like to see more of this.

He was dead.

No, he was alive, but hurt. Badly. The searing pain from his side kept him from staying awake despite the desperate urgings of the person gripping his hand tightly. Who was that again? His vision was cloudly; he could see a splotch of green, a dark head and the widened light grey orbs, staring at him in fright…worry? He tried to weakly squeeze back the trembling hand, to reassure them that he was going to be okay, but his strength was leaving him. The person was saying something, over and over again, but his hearing failed him. A shame. The person seemed to have beautiful lips, so he could only guess their voice was the same. As his consciousness slowly took him away, his mouth curved on the side, somehow feeling blessed to have spent his last moments with a beautiful person like that.

Except he didn’t die.

And the loud march that rang inside his head only proved the point further.

As the green orbs opened, he found himself staring at the blinding lights on the ceiling. He narrowed his eyes, casting his eyes away from the stinging sensation as he tried to remember how he got here. Nothing about the room spoke familiar but blank decorations and the specific smell in the air suggested him of it being a hospital ward. Confused and frankly quite a bit lost, he tried to wrack his brain in search of the last thing he could remember only to come up empty.

Nothing. His head seemed to be empty of anything. And wasn’t that frustrating.

Frowning, he was just about to press on the call button when his eyes landed on a lone figure sitting by the edge of his bed. It was a man of lean frame and though he was leaning in slighty, his back was straight. Something about his posture seemed lonely as he let himself be silently observed, giving no indication that he had noticed the patient awakening. Perhaphs he truly wasn’t aware. He seemed lost enough in his thoughts for that to be the case.

At the first gurgling sound coming from the bed, the man startled, his head turning sharply to stare at the sheepishly looking patient. Light grey. He felt like he had seen that color somewhere before. Though he didn’t know where and the man didn’t let him wonder long enough before he was standing up and then towering above the bed, his eyes lost in a wild search. “How are you feeling?” a low voice which held a shade of huskiness greeted his ears. It was pleasing and somehow familiar. He tried to find his voice in him as the light greys narrowed tightly at his failure to respond.

“Um…I’m sore, I think, but lucid?” And wow did his voice sound like nothing special compared to the man asking him questions. Rather, it sounded like a voice of someone young, still in the process of changing. His fingers itched to cover them against his throat, but the needle protruding from his skin intimidated him enough not to try.

There was a deep sigh coming from the older man. His shoulders seemed to sag as he slumped back on the edge of the bed. “If you’re awake, then that’s enough,” he said, then his eyes turned a shade darker as he regarded the patient on the bed. “You really know how to cause trouble, brat.” The words sounded accusing, meaning to make him shrink into himself but then he realized that he still had no idea who the man was or how he got here or…now that he thought about it, who in the world was _he_?

“Um.”

“What?” the sharp tone momentary froze him in place before he balled his fists.

“What happened to me?” The question seemed to surprise the other man; something passed in his expression which he couldn’t decipher, something akin to pain, before it was hidden away together with his eyes. “What’s the last thing you remember?” he then asked, and wasn’t that the question of a century. He could feel himself slowly getting worked up as no matter how much deeper he dug inside his brain, he would come up with nothing. He didn’t know who the man talking to him was. He didn’t know why was he in the hospital ward. And he had no idea of his own identity.

“I don’t remember…” he muttered quietly, seconds ticking by as he felt the boring eyes staring at him, waiting. “You don’t remember what?” he was asked again and all just seemed to be too much.

“Anything! I don’t remember a damn thing! There’s nothing, nothing inside my head but an empty shell,” he was panting heavily after his sudden outburst, the corners of his eyes stinging. He refused to let himself cry. He already felt incompetent compared to the man by his bed and that dind’t even make sense, considering he didn’t even know him and he couldn’t really owe something to a stranger. But he wasn’t a stranger, was he? He was someone his brain somehow managed to erase together with every other information about his life. His hand came to clutch against the side of his head, willing himself to remember. Remember. At least try to remember your own name, dammit.

“Eren.”

A hand on his shoulder and suddenly he was back, blinking owlishly at the man with the light grey eyes. He looked concerned and as the boy, Eren, asked if that was his name it seemed to sadden the man even more. He didn’t want to force him to make that expression. But even as his heart seemed to be concerned about the older man, his mind felt detached from it all. His shoulder burned where the palm of the man still rested at and at his involuntary look towards it, the hand was gone in a swift motion.

“I’m going to get the doctor,” the man said and turned to leave the room, without even telling Eren his name.

***

After a series of probing, he learned that he had been in an accident where he hit his head quite badly several times and that it was likely the cause of his memory confusion. The good news was that his amnesia seemed to be the retrograde type, since he could still form new memories, such as meeting Levi, the man whose name he finally learned. No thanks to him.

It was his father actually who told him that. Apparently Grisha was the head doctor of the Jeager Hospital. He already felt second-hand embarrassment for his father for chosing his own family name to name a hospital after himself. No wonder he chose military over this. Which was another interesting thing he learned. Eren was a new recruit in training, under the care of Levi.

No wonder the man looked so pained after seeing him in that state. He must have felt responsible.

“He should go back to school,” Levi said before Eren could even attempt to protest. It didn’t help that his father seemed to agree almost instantly.

“No, wait a minute. This should be my decision-“

“Eren,” Grisha interrupted him. “As your father and a doctor, this decision of mine is not arguable.”

“But!”

“Forget it,” Levi spoke from the place on the sofa he had been casually drinking coffee from. He had a rather peculiar way of doing that, too, fingers holding a fine porcelian cup in a way where only the tips of his pads touched the surface. It was weird, but somehow it suited the whole image that was _Levi._ “The brat has a real monstrous will when he wants to get his way. It’s useless trying to convince him otherwise.”

Though he felt insulted, Eren couldn’t help thinking that the man seemed to know a whole lot about him, and perhaps if he followed him, he would also come to re-learn the things about himself. He only wished his father saw it his way. He eyed the older man warily as he protested, “You can’t possibly be thinking about letting Eren out in the field again. I won’t allow it, Levi.”

“No,” he Levi agreed. “He can go to school in the morning and come clean the barracks in the evening.”

Frowning, Eren asked, “Cleaning?”

“What, don’t want to?” Levi asked, his voice challenging and Eren knew that the man was baiting him. It was either becoming a measly servant or he could bid his goodbyes to ever stepping foot in the military again. It was frustrating.

“No, I will do it.” The fire that burned in him at the words felt familiar, and the slight sparkle in Levi’s eyes told him he was impressed, if only a little. He felt a smirk grow on his features.

Finally finishing his coffee, Levi placed the cup on the table with a clang and stood up, gathering his black coat on the way out. “I will come get him on his discharge day.”

“Thank you, Levi. And sorry for all the trouble my son’s caused you.”

Eren scoffed at that. He wasn’t that troublesome. Was he?

“You don’t have to apologize, Grisha. He was my responsibility,” as he said that, his frame shifted slightly towards Eren. Or did he just imagine that? “If anything, I should be the one apologizing.” And then the man was bowing down to his father by thirty degrees, back held straight. Eren felt the sudden urge to run to the man and pull him away from his submissive position. Of course, he quelched that urge, mutely watching how his father put his hands around Levi’s shoulders to straighten him up. Eren sighed in relief.

“You don’t have to do that. I know the situation wasn’t something you could’ve predicted,” his father said, making Eren wonder just what exactly happened to him.

While Levi didn’t seem convinced, he accepted Grisha’s forgiveness. “I’ll leave Eren in your care.”

“Yeah.”

***

As the day of his discharging finally arrived, Eren was a jittery mess. The time spent in the hospital gave him insight of the Survey Corps and their Captain Levi, a man known for his cleaning obsession tendencies and blunt way of speaking. Eren had to wonder if he would survive the trial week within the close premises of the man.

There was a sharp knocking, which caused Eren to visibly jump, before the doors opened and the military’s strongest soldier stepped inside the room. He already had a look on his face like he wanted to crush Eren. “What, still not ready?” he asked, making Eren flail and grab for his bag before rushing towards the man.

He got stopped by the entrance, again, with a hand on his shoulder. This time it retracted as soon as Eren came to a stop. “You don’t have to run. Or do you want to open your stiches?”

“Oh,” Eren breathed, blinking, somehow surprised by the man’s consideration. It was endearing and for a moment Eren thought that perhaps he misunderstood Levi and he was actually a good guy, but then he noticed another thing and in his failure to filter his mouth, blurted out, “You’re shorter than me.”

At once any sign of kindness previously present on the Captain’s face disappeared, leaving a cold look in its wake. “If you’re quite done talking shit, let’s go already,” he spoke curtly, moving forward towards the elevator area. Adjusting the backpack on his shoulder, Eren went to follow him.

The ride down was awkward to say the least. Levi hadn’t spoken a single word and Eren proceeded to stare at the countdown numbers. He wished they would quickly get to the barracks already so he could make himself busy and avoid this situation, but then remembered he was yet to suffer through the whole ride in Levi’s car.

His backpack got tossed in the trunk, as Levi went to the driver’s side, Eren gingerely joining him in the passengers seat. He fidgeted in his seat, unsure if proposing a topic for conversation was something he should do. He then spotted the audio player and thought of erasing this awkward silence with some good beats of music. His fingers got swatted away before they could reach a single button.

“Why?” he asked indignantly, then gulped as he caught Levi’s non-impressed stare.

“That should be my line. What gave you the permission to rummage through someone else’s stuff?”

“It’s a music player.”

“Your point?”

The man was frustrating. And if Eren wasn’t so much intimidated by him, he might have argued more. For now, he retreated. “Okay, I get it. You don’t like people going through your stuff. Whatever.”

He knew he was acting petulant as he crossed his arms and turned to look through the window.

“Not my stuff,” Levi said, then at Eren’s promting, continued, “It’s Erwin’s car.” Eren could only stare blankly at him. “Right, you don’t know him.”

“I know, probably, I just don’t remember. There’s a difference.”

As the car came to a stop by the crossroad, Levi turned to stare at him for a moment. “Right,” he agreed, and something about it sounded sad. It confused Eren. “Erwin is your commander. Better remember that before you start acting insolent towards him. He’ll kick your ass before you can even attempt to scratch it.”

“Yes, sir,” Eren silently agreed.

As he watched the man make a left turn, he kept coming back to the very first image he had of him. Of a man deep in heavy thoughts. Was it too presumptious of him to think that he was the one to put that expression on the Captain’s face? No matter his harsh words, Eren felt like the man held some sort of affection towards him, and for reasons unknown, he felt himself drawn to that feeling. He found himself wanting to probe further into the forbidden territory.

He was almost certain if it all turned out to only be an insane assumption, he could put the blame on his broken head for it.

“Captain?”

“What?”

It was now or never.

“Were we close?” he asked and turned to watch the changing expression on Levi’s face. It was subtle, he would give him that, but there was something about the way his brows creased that little bit more and the way his eyes narrowed to stare more pointedly at the road that told him there was something more to it all.

“What’re you talking about?” His pretence of being ignorant didn’t faze Eren. He pushed on.

“I mean, you seemed to know a lot about me.”

“You’re my subordinate and my friend’s son,” the man sighed in mild irritation. “Of course I would know about you.”

“No, but like, it’s just the way you sounded, it seemed like…” he let the words trail off, afraid to make the last step, in case he had been wrong.

“What?” Levi prompted him while his knuckles whitened against the steering wheel.

“I don’t know…”

At his defeated words, something seemed to give in the man’s shoulders. Some of the tension leaving his body. “I’m your direct superior,” Levi said. “That’s all you need to know about me.”

“Yes, sir,” Eren said in a firm tone, turning to stare through the car window, all the while hiding his growing smirk from the Captain’s line of sight.

He was almost certain he caught onto something his father should be never be told about.

* * *

_**to be continued...?** _

 


End file.
